Thread: recommendations for a newbie

hi everyone, for the past 3 months ive been shaving with a shavette and have not needed a strop. I just won a bid containing a beautiful louper cabinet, needless to say i have no idea with what type of strops i should get. i need recommendations from you guys on what is a good quality strop. i understand the saying you get what you paid for. also i read that i need to "rub it down". no idea what that means.

Thank you.

Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment
This place sells good strops for a decent price. Starting out you don't want to spend a lot on items that will most likely get cut or torn while you learn. Some strops need to be treated with a leather balm that will help keep them supple enough for you to strop on, kinda like a lubricant so the razor flows. It also extends the life of the strop.

Thanks I will definitely check them out

Mistaoso,

Welcome to Straight Razor Place. Buy a three-inch quality strop to give you a good start. No, it does not have to be expensive, something in the $60 to $70 range, that will last you a long time. Remember, if you buy a cheapo, well, it will give you cheapo results. Visit some of the vendors listed here and you'll find what you want. Also, have that razor cleaned up and honed by a professional. Good luck.

The Star Shaving paddle strop with bridle, and latigo is a very good starter for around $40. The bridle has nice draw.

I just Checked the paddle out. It'd real nice and only 25 bucks. But I dont get what Balsa/Felt or Balsa/English bridle leather is

Originally Posted by mistaoso

I just Checked the paddle out. It'd real nice and only 25 bucks. But I dont get what Balsa/Felt or Balsa/English bridle leather is

They are different mediums on which to strop and use pastes like Chromium oxide. You for sure need just plain leather so go with the Balsa/English if that is your only choice. I personally would skip out on the balsa and get a hanging strop. You can buy balsa at any hobby shop,glue it to a 2x4 and sand it. That's maybe a five dollar project. I would suggest the Big Daddy as a starter strop. I have one which I still use and its pretty cheap. Here is the link for strops in the wiki. Razor Strops - Straight Razor Place Library

+1 on the Big Daddy from Star Shaving

Consider what your new strop will look like about 1 week after you get your inexperienced hands on it. The likelihood of nicks and cuts is in the upper 50 percentile.

On that basis, I would go along with guitstik above and get a Larry Andro [whipped dog] strop for cheap and if it happens to get cut up, you have a decent practice strop until you get the hang of things.

A top quality strop doesn't need a bunch of nicks and cuts along it edges. Time and experience will get you a top quality strop. Patience.

I have 4 nicks in my strop. None bother me because they are at the end of my laps. This is from not getting my fingers in the right position to start. Once I got the motor skill memorized I had no more problems. Now I never take the blade of the strop or the hone. I just roll it over on the spine. All that said I still use my first strop which was a chunk of horse butt on a stick. I am not one to change what works but I probably should. After 2 years I deserve another chunk of butt. Maybe this time I'll even glue it to the board.